Shocking Pacquiao loss puts Mayweather bout in jeopardy

Juan Manuel Marquez, left, begins to celebrate as referee Kenny Bayless calls Manny Pacquiao down for the count in the sixth round during a fight Saturday in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

MANILA, Philippines – Boxing scribes were one in claiming the devastating loss suffered by Manny Pacquiao at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez on Sunday has made a Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. showdown highly unlikely to happen.

Michigan Live’s Josh Slagter posted a collection of quotes from US boxing writers saying the possibility of Pacquiao fighting Mayweather sometime next year has become slimmer following the Filipino’s stunning sixth round knockout defeat to Marquez.

Yahoo Sports! Kevin Iole, who covered the Pacquiao-Marquez fight at ringside at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, quoted rapper and promoter 50 Cent as saying that the loss puts an end to a potential Pacquiao-Mayweather bout.

"That was a lot of money [going away]," 50 Cent, formerly a close associate of Mayweather, reportedly told Iole the moment referee Kenny Bayless waved off the fight as Pacquiao lay motionless on the canvass after being clipped by Marquez.

Pacquiao walked straight into a perfectly timed right hand by Marquez at the end of the sixth round and dropped like a log, a horrifying scene that broke the hearts of millions of Filipinos.

ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael was among those stunned by the knockout, saying it might as well be the death sentence to a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown.

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"It was a stunning scene and certainly brought to a close Pacquiao's incredible run that saw him win world titles in a record eight weight classes, win a congressional seat in his native Philippines and become a global star. It was also probably the final nail in the coffin for the fight most have wanted to see for years but that has gone unmade: Pacquiao against pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr," Rafael wrote.

A Pacquiao-Mayweather fight could go down in boxing history as the richest fight ever, and all it took was a single punch from Marquez for the bout to dissipate.

"Manny Pacquiao's fight with Floyd Mayweather, reckoned to be worth $200 million, was consigned to dust in Las Vegas today when the Filipino was knocked out in the sixth round by Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez," wrote Gareth Davis of The Telegraph.

Even Forbes.com, which has been keeping tabs on a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown because of its magnitude, is no longer optimistic that the fight would ever happen.

"A Pacquiao vs Mayweather match-up would have likely fetched in the neighborhood of $250 million in Pay-Per-View revenues. With Manny agreeing to a 55-45 split, he would have earned $100 million alone from this portion of the pot. The likelihood of this fight happening anytime soon has certainly diminished rapidly, and the older these fighters get the less juicy their potential bout becomes," wrote the popular financial publication.

Pacquiao said it’s not the end of the road for him and plans to fight again after resting and spending time with his family. According to Top Rank chief Bob Arum, a fifth fight with Marquez is also possible.

“Why not (Pacquiao-Marquez 5)?” Arum said after yesterday’s fight.

Mayweather, for his part, recently announced he is going to fight twice next year. But it could no longer be against Pacquiao.